Friday, October 7, 2016

The fire department doesn't stop at putting out the fire! Why do you?

When your local fire department arrives to put out a fire you would be correct in saying their priority is to put the fire out. In that moment wondering how the fire began is irrelevant. There could be lives still in danger or increasing damage that can be avoided. But once the fire is out where does the focus turn? Into clues of what started the fire of course. And then that concern or liability in turn becomes a part of public service announcements, community communication and training.

In dealership operations I feel that many of us are great at putting out fires. We know how to put deals back together, appease concerned customers and get anxious employees to get back on the team bus.

Where we need to improve is in finding out how the fire started and how to create an environment that thrives on not letting it happen again. How many times do I hear people say, "gotta love the car business" as a way to justify with dealing with the same old problems month in and month out.

Commit yourself today to not just stop at dousing the flames next time. Commit to discovering how the fire started and how you can eliminate it from happening again. Maybe it's additional situational training, maybe it's better communication.

Then think about the great things that you could be doing if you weren't running to the next fire.

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Welcome!

Morgan Auto Group is one of the fastest growing family-owned dealership groups in the United States. We were the 2nd biggest mover recently in the Automotive News Top 125 Dealership Group Survey.

I have been in the retail car dealership business since 2005. My father was going through a failed retirement after selling his tire & auto service business Tires Plus and we decided to try the car business. I'm glad he did. Today we are 14 rooftops strong in and around Central Florida and the Gulf Coast.